MTI备考必看 | 国际政治类文本常用短语（第6期）

字面意思：shoot at extremely close range without needing to adjust aim

本义例句：The hunter fired point‑blank at the target dummy in the test. 猎人测试中近距离直瞄射击靶标。

引申含义：speak bluntly, give an outright refusal or unvarnished statement with no diplomatic softening

外刊例句：The envoy gave a point‑blank rejection to the unfair draft resolution. 特使直截了当断然拒绝这份不公平的决议草案。

常用搭配：point‑blank refusal /reject; say point‑blank

适用场景：外交断然回绝、强硬公开声明、无委婉措辞的表态

字面意思：eliminate or destroy something completely so nothing remains

本义例句：The powerful tsunami wiped out several small coastal fishing villages. 猛烈海啸彻底摧毁数座沿海小渔村。

引申含义：destroy military forces, eliminate political groups or erase existing agreements

外刊例句：The conflict threatened to wipe out all the fragile diplomatic gains of past years. 这场冲突有可能将过去数年来之不易的外交成果全盘摧毁。

常用搭配：wipe out gains /forces/groups; be wiped out

适用场景：战争冲突、协议作废、政治势力被清除

字面意思：prevent a boat or object from sinking beneath the water surface

本义例句：Extra buoyant barrels kept the damaged small boat afloat in rough seas. 额外浮筒让受损小船在汹涌海面勉强浮起不沉没。

引申含义：take emergency measures to sustain a fragile negotiation, regime or institution from collapse

外刊例句：Last‑minute compromise concessions kept the fragile treaty talks afloat. 最后一刻做出妥协让步，才让岌岌可危的条约谈判勉强维系没有崩盘。

常用搭配：keep talks /regime/institution afloat

适用场景：濒临失败的谈判、脆弱政权续命、挽救濒临失效的国际组织

字面意思：sailboat shift its direction by adjusting sails and rudder

本义例句：The yacht changed tack to catch favourable wind and speed up. 帆船调转航向借顺风提速。

引申含义：a government switches its foreign‑policy strategy, priorities or negotiating stance

外刊例句：Facing mounting international pressure, the government changed tack on the border issue. 面对持续增大的国际压力，该国政府在边境问题上改换外交策略。

常用搭配：change tack on an issue; decide to change tack

适用场景：外交政策转向、谈判策略调整、政府路线纠错

字面意思：ungenerous, meagre conditions offered in a private deal

本义例句：The landlord offered stingy terms for the short‑term apartment rental. 房东给出十分苛刻的短租公寓条款。

引申含义：unfavourable, meagre provisions within international treaties, aid or trade pacts

外刊例句：Developing nations rejected the stingy terms proposed by wealthy donor states. 发展中国家拒绝富裕捐助国提出的条件苛刻的援助条款。

常用搭配：stingy terms for aid / treaty; reject stingy terms

适用场景：对外援助谈判、经贸协定、气候资金博弈

字面意思：blank border space around printed text on a page; small difference between two values

本义例句：Leave a wide margin on the paper when you write your essay. 写作文时请在纸上留出宽阔页边留白。

引申含义：small gap of advantage, narrow room for error or slim difference in diplomatic /electoral contests

外刊例句：The resolution passed only by a very narrow margin inside the council. 这份决议仅以理事会内部极其微弱的差额获得通过。

常用搭配：narrow /slim margin; by a margin of …

适用场景：联合国投票、公投大选、政策容错空间有限

字面意思：stand right at the outer edge or brink of a physical place

本义例句：The hiker stood on a rocky cliff that verged on a deep valley. 徒步者站在一处紧邻深谷的岩石悬崖边上。

引申含义：be extremely close to entering a critical diplomatic or conflict state

外刊例句：The two countries’ bilateral ties verged on full diplomatic rupture. 两国双边关系濒临彻底断交。

常用搭配：verge on conflict /collapse/rupture /chaos

适用场景：关系破裂临界点、冲突一触即发、危机临近爆发

字面意思：food used to attract fish onto a fishing hook

本义例句：The fisherman put fresh worm bait onto his fishing hook at dawn. 渔夫黎明时分把新鲜虫饵挂在鱼钩上。

引申含义：attractive offer or concession deployed to lure a rival party into making concessions

外刊例句：The generous market‑access offer was used as bait to win the counterpart’s compromise. 这份优厚市场准入条件被用作诱饵，争取对手做出让步。

常用搭配：use sth as bait; fall for the bait

适用场景：谈判博弈、外交诱劝、条件交换策略

字面意思：a smooth curved line or trajectory across space

本义例句：We watched the bright arc of the meteor sweep across the night sky. 我们观赏流星划过夜空的明亮弧形轨迹。

引申含义：the full sweeping trajectory and evolution of a political movement, conflict or policy

外刊例句：The speech traced the long arc of the country’s post‑war diplomatic history. 这篇演讲梳理了该国战后外交历史漫长的演变弧线。

常用搭配：the long arc of history /conflict/policy

适用场景：历史复盘、冲突全过程梳理、长期外交进程分析

字面意思：eat large quantities of food with great enjoyment

本义例句：The wolves feasted on fresh prey after a successful hunt. 狩猎成功之后狼群饱餐猎物。

引申含义：political actors exploit a crisis, scandal or opponent’s missteps to gain political advantage

外刊例句：Opposition parties feasted on the government’s diplomatic misstep in parliament. 反对党在议会大肆利用政府外交失误捞取政治筹码。

常用搭配：feast on a crisis /scandal/opponent’s blunder

适用场景：国内政党斗争、利用对手外交失误造势、危机博弈